# STARC Bands

Draws Stoller Average Range Channels: a 5-bar simple moving average with bands offset 2 times a 15-bar average true range, plus an optional 3x outer extreme ring. Band tags read as stretch against recent average range rather than breakout invitations, and eight alerts cover tags, single-tag rejections, centerline crosses and outer-band events, for mean-reversion and risk-aware entries.

- Indicator in the LuxAlgo Library, by LuxAlgo, published Mar 27, 2026.
- Access: free.
- Concepts: [STARC Bands](https://www.luxalgo.com/library/concept/starc-bands/) (primary)
- Open on Vela: https://vela.luxalgo.com/chart?pineScriptCodeId=b8dgwjm73gdqfguqhdnitvzn
- Page: https://www.luxalgo.com/library/indicator/starc-bands/

**STARC Bands** rebuilds Stoller's range channel with the contrarian reading intact, the definitive clean version of [STARC Bands](https://www.luxalgo.com/library/concept/starc-bands/) for the Library. A deliberately short simple average forms the centerline and the bands sit a chosen ATR multiple above and below, so the channel expands when the tape runs hot and contracts when it goes quiet, gaps included.

## How to Trade the STARC Bands?

- **Band tag**: price pushing into a band has already traveled beyond its recent typical range. The level warns against fresh entries in that direction rather than inviting a chase.
- **Single-tag rejection**: a tag closing back inside argues for rotation toward the centerline, the countertrend setup the channel was built to frame.
- **Band-hugging closes**: a run of closes pressed against one band marks a trend willing to stay extended; put fades on hold while that persists.
- **Centerline cross**: the stretch has fully reset at the neutral reference, and centerline-trailing exits are triggered.

The band offset is published to the data window as multiplier × ATR, doubling as a stop-distance and sizing reference alongside the other [volatility studies](https://www.luxalgo.com/library/family/volatility/).

## STARC Bands Settings

- **Source** (default close): the series the centerline averages; the offset always comes from true range.
- **Average Length** (default 5): the short centerline that keeps a band touch meaning stretch against the immediate swing rather than the broader trend.
- **ATR Length** (default 15): lookback of the range estimate behind the offset.
- **ATR Multiplier** (default 2): how far out the bands sit: far enough that a touch is genuine stretch, close enough that touches happen.
- **Outer Extreme Bands** (default off) with **Multiplier** (default 3): a second, lighter ring marking exceptional range.
- **Channel Gradient Fill** (default on) and **Band Tag Markers** (default off): presentation; the alerts fire either way.

## Frequently Asked Questions

### How do STARC Bands differ from Keltner Channels?

Both offset a centerline by ATR, but [Keltner Channels](https://www.luxalgo.com/library/indicator/keltner-channels/) typically run a 20-period EMA basis read with trend logic, while the STARC form keeps the centerline very short and treats band contact as elevated entry risk.

### Why true range instead of standard deviation?

True range counts gaps, so the channel widens on overnight jumps a close-to-close deviation measure would largely miss, a real difference on instruments that gap routinely.

### Can the bands time entries on their own?

They locate stretch, not turns. A tag says a fresh entry in that direction is late relative to recent range; pairing rejections with structure or momentum evidence turns the location into a trade.

## Related indicators

- [Nadaraya-Watson Envelope](https://www.luxalgo.com/library/indicator/nadaraya-watson-envelope/) (Envelope): markdown at https://www.luxalgo.com/library/indicator/nadaraya-watson-envelope.md
- [TTM Squeeze](https://www.luxalgo.com/library/indicator/ttm-squeeze/) (Volatility): markdown at https://www.luxalgo.com/library/indicator/ttm-squeeze.md
- [Fibonacci Bollinger Bands](https://www.luxalgo.com/library/indicator/fibonacci-bollinger-bands/) (Volatility): markdown at https://www.luxalgo.com/library/indicator/fibonacci-bollinger-bands.md
- [Double Bollinger Zones](https://www.luxalgo.com/library/indicator/double-bollinger-zones/) (Volatility): markdown at https://www.luxalgo.com/library/indicator/double-bollinger-zones.md
- [Proximal Range Filter](https://www.luxalgo.com/library/indicator/proximal-range-filter/) (Envelope): markdown at https://www.luxalgo.com/library/indicator/proximal-range-filter.md
- [Bollinger Squeeze](https://www.luxalgo.com/library/indicator/bollinger-squeeze/) (Volatility): markdown at https://www.luxalgo.com/library/indicator/bollinger-squeeze.md
- [Bollinger Bands Breakout Oscillator](https://www.luxalgo.com/library/indicator/bollinger-bands-breakout-oscillator/) (Bollinger Bands): markdown at https://www.luxalgo.com/library/indicator/bollinger-bands-breakout-oscillator.md
- [Donchian MA Bands](https://www.luxalgo.com/library/indicator/donchian-ma-bands/) (Donchian Channels): markdown at https://www.luxalgo.com/library/indicator/donchian-ma-bands.md

---

Source: https://www.luxalgo.com/library/indicator/starc-bands/ (LuxAlgo Library). Free to use with attribution: https://www.luxalgo.com/library/license/